Quality

Our operational quality management system allows Vogel Tube Bending to satisfy the stringent requirements that our customers impose. Quality is not a separate domain within Vogel Tube Bending but is integrated into all of our business processes and therefore contributes fully to the optimal interaction of the different processes. The management system is designed and certified in accordance with the standard ISO 9001:2015.

In order to meet the requirements of the automotive industry, the management system has been adapted and certified since 2011 according to the requirements of the standard IATF 16949:2016 (previous known as ISO/TS 16949:2009).

Incorporating LEAN Six Sigma techniques into our process for continuous improvement enables us to further optimise our business operations and serve our customers even better.

IATF 16949:2016

The purpose of the IATF 16949 standard is to encourage the process of continuous improvement and controlling risks. The standard is mainly aimed at process-based thinking and working while maintaining Vogel Tube Bending’s flexibility and guaranteeing customer-specific requirements on all deliveries, these being made at the agreed time. In this way, together with the customer-specific requirements, all the currently existing documents with stipulations such as the VDA series and the QS9000 core tool series (APQP, PPAP, FMEA, MSA and SPC) are complied with.

3D Optical Measurement

In the process of continuous improvement, we are always looking for effective and particularly more efficient measuring methods. The measurement of bent tubes can sometimes be problematic, and worse very time-consuming! By investing in an Aicon 3D optical tube measuring machine, Vogel Tube Bending has made a huge step forward in both quality and the duration of the measuring process. The human dependence in the measuring process is completely eliminated through contactless measuring. With this coordinates program, the deviation of the measured object can be established within a tolerance of ±0.1mm with respect to the original data.

The measuring machine can immediately correct the measured deviation(s) on the connected bending machines. In this way, great savings can be made on turnaround time and machine downtime. By having the measuring machine correct the erroneous values on the bending machine immediately, the next product bent is almost always to the applicable specifications. Advantages of this measuring method are: very short measuring time, less material used, short machine setup times, reduced machine downtime, no human dependence, reverse engineering, no expensive inspection templates needed and excellent SPC possibilities so the preparation of PPAP documentation is quicker.

Laboratory

As part of the continuous improvement process, Vogel Tube Bending possesses a modern, fully-equipped laboratory and thus has access to state-of-the-art resources and technology enabling us to acquire a thorough understanding of the outcomes of our current production processes.

By using statistical software we can precisely identify variations in production processes and are exceptionally capable of determining beforehand whether we can satisfy the specific requirements of our customers. Utilising reliable measuring systems allows us to identify variations in the production processes and when necessary to introduce preventative measures to ensure delivered products conform to the customer specifications.